A SURVEY OF TYLCD EPIDEMICS IN SARDINIA (ITALY) – MONITORING THE OCCURRENCE OF DISEASE-ASSOCIATED VIRUSES ON WEEDS AND NON-TOMATO CROPS

In some horticultural areas in the south of Sardinia (Italy) the tomato yellow leaf curl disease (TYLCD) frequently causes serious damages to greenhouse tomatoes.
To investigate the role played by weeds and non-tomato crops as reservoirs of TYLCD-associated viruses, we carried out a survey in the district of S. Margherita di Pula (Cagliari). Over the three years of the survey, most of the infected plants were detected between June and August, and the highest number of positive samples was reported for D. stramonium. Composition of virus populations varied among years: while in 2005 TYLCSV was largely prevalent, in the following years it was partially displaced by TYLCV. One or both the geminiviruses were also detected on French bean, pepper, sweet pepper, Malva sylvestris, Mercurialis annua and Sonchus asper.

III International Symposium on Tomato Diseases

M. Nannini, M. Testa, C. Dellacroce, G.P. Accotto

TYLCSV, TYLCV, geminiviruses, host plants, weeds

https://doi.org/10.17660/ActaHortic.2011.914.33